Favorite character actors?

[PNGwynne]

We have lots of "favorite" threads here--heros, comics, food, even toys. Some of you may know I watch TCM somewhat obsessively; I'm curious about which character actors you enjoy--those folks in cameos or supporting roles that buoy up a film and make you smile. Some I enjoy:

*Vincent Price

*S.Z. Sakall

*Donald Meek

*Thelma Ritter

*George Macready

*Agnes Moorhead

*James Gregory

*James Gleason

*Dub Taylor

*Ian Wolfe

*Ross Martin

*Cyril Delavanti

*Ethel Barrymore

*Donald Crisp

*Eric Blore

And so many more.

[BlackKnight]

Stan Lee
Bill Paxton
Sam Elliot
Max Von Sydow
And I'd go Samuel L Jackson too

[Majere]

Not for film, but television. Mark Lenard. He was so amazing. Both his roles in Star Trek were unreal. What he did in TNG, crying during the music performance, was just magical.

As for films, I don't know if I would consider Vincent Price to be a character actor as much as B actor (no disrespect intended), because Price headlined so many films. But I agree he was amazing. I love Vincent Price's voice. He had a real majesty to his acting.

A lot of the old horror actors were amazing. Lon Chaney Sr., Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee. We will never see their like again.

[Hedji]

Tough to think off the top of my head.

Dick Miller
Thorley Walters
John Saxon
David Warner
Tom Atkins

[PNGwynne]

Dick Miller!

John Saxon is underrated. Always liked Lenard, even in Here Come the Brides. Really enjoy von Sydow and Jackson, too.

I consider all the great classic horror actors as character actors of varying exposure. Price--whom I truly adore--never really got past second leads until he headlined fright films. By the middle 1940s, he was definitely a very skilled character player, notable in Fox productions like Keys of the Kingdom, Dragonwyck, Laura, and Song of Bernadette. His performance in the latter is terrific. He was a great lead in Baron of Arizona, though.

[PNGwynne]

Claude Adkins
George Sanders
Roddy McDowall
Burgess Meredith, PBHN (that's an in joke for Chris)
Gordon Jump
Kathleen Freeman
Hector Elizondo

[Majere]

Tough to think off the top of my head.

Dick Miller
Thorley Walters
John Saxon
David Warner
Tom Atkins

I loved Saxon in the Six Million Dollar man. A bit of trivia, but the episode featuring Saxon as the cyborg was one of the first times they used the infamous 6MDM sound effects. They added them as effects for Steve later in the series.

[Mikey]

The woman from the original Little Shop of Horrors and also was the voice of Melody in Josie/Pussycats

[MysteryWho]

Gosh, there's so many great ones!
Peter Lorre
Warren Oates
Harry Dean Stanton
M. Emmet Walsh
George Kennedy
Michael Ripper
Just to name a few!

[Confessional]

If I'm making my movie and have a pick of dynamic-cross generational support roles, on the fly I'm going with…

Harry Dean Santon, Garret Dillahunt, Elsa Lanchester, Parkey Posey, Agnes Moorehead and John Amos!

[Hedji]

Great thread! There's so many you forget.

[Mikey]

Andy Divine --- who's Jingles in everything he play's

[Apositive]

M. Emmet Walsh
William Smith
Ned Beatty
Ronny Cox
John Casale

[Majere]

If I'm making my movie and have a pick of dynamic-cross generational support roles, on the fly I'm going with…

Harry Dean Santon, Garret Dillahunt, Elsa Lanchester, Parkey Posey, Agnes Moorehead and John Amos!

I don't guess I've ever seen Agnes Moorehead in anything I can remember, other than maybe Bewitched I guess, but I loved her as the lovely Margo Lane in the Shadow radio program.

And if we want to include other actors who got started in radio, William Conrad tops them all in my book. His work on Gunsmoke was legendary, but one of his finest performances came on an episode of Suspense, about a man trapped in with dozens of wax figures that seemingly come to life and start speaking to him. By the end you're left to wonder if it is real, or if he has simply gone mad. The twist at the end is when we, the audience, learn that William Conrad voiced every single character in the episode. Really an unforgettable performance.

[Gorn Captain]

Too many too mention, but let's start with David Warner. What a great actor.